Not an inch of land ceded since Modi became PM: Rijiju
New Delhi, Apr 5: Not an inch of land has been ceded since Narendra Modi became prime minister, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, hitting back at an opposition MP who accused the government of giving away Indian territory "bit by bit to China".
Intervening in the discussion in the lower house on the situation in Ukraine, Rijiju took strong objection to the remarks made by BSP MP from Jaunpur Shyam Singh Yadav.
"Everyone knows that our claimed territory under the control of China and Pakistan dates back to earlier times. I don't want to take anyone's name. Since Narendra Modi has become prime minister, not an inch of land has been ceded," Rijiju said after Yadav alleged that Indian territory was being given away "bit by bit to China".
The minister said Arunachal Pradesh, which is a border state, is also "100 per cent safe and secure''.
"I come from Arunachal Pradesh. A TV channel did mischief and, taking images from a foreign website, said that China has established a village inside Arunachal which is false as that village had been occupied by China in 1959," Rijiju said.
One should not mislead the country by making such claims, he said.
Rijiju recalled that in 2013 when A K Antony was the defence minister, he had stated in the House that India's policy not to build infrastructure in the border areas was wrong.
"The Modi government is changing that policy and our borders are secure. My state Arunachal Pradesh is also 100 per cent safe and secure," he asserted.
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CM Siddaramaiah accuses BJP of ‘communalising’ Karnataka order on religious attire in schools
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday slammed BJP leaders for "communalising" the Karnataka government’s order allowing students to wear religious attire in schools and colleges, including the hijab.
The Karnataka government, on May 13, issued an order allowing students to wear hijab, sacred threads, Shivadhara, and rudraksha (faith-based symbols) in schools.
The order scrapped the BJP government’s 2022 ban on the hijab in government schools amid the hijab versus saffron shawl controversy.
In a statement, Siddaramaiah said BJP leaders commenting on the matter should introspect on why they are discussing the state government order instead of the cancellation of the NEET examination, which relates to the future of 22 lakh students.
The CM said the revised dress code has now been implemented in schools and colleges across the state, in keeping with the constitutional principle of equal respect for all religions.
It is only natural that those who seek to divide society based on caste and religion are upset by this order, he said, adding that they should look within and introspect.
"What is being discussed across the country is the cancellation of the NEET examination due to a question paper leak. Yet neither PM Narendra Modi, who conducts ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ (discussion on exams) and claims to care for students, nor BJP leaders in the state have said a word about this serious crime that has shattered the futures of innocent students," the statement said.
Despite serious allegations that BJP leaders themselves are involved in the issue, they are busy defending the PM and the education minister, Siddaramaiah alleged.
"Is this not a betrayal of the 22 lakh students across the country who have become victims of NEET examination irregularities?" he asked.
Siddaramaiah claimed that when lapses were found in one or two centres during the CET examination conducted by his government, state BJP leaders created a huge uproar and staged protests, but now, when more than one lakh students from Karnataka have faced injustice, the BJP leaders are silent.
He wondered whether BJP leaders have even the minimum concern for students in Karnataka.
"When the sacred thread (janivara) was removed in one or two places, and when Muslim girl students wore the hijab in one or two schools in Udupi, these BJP leaders tried to set the whole of Karnataka on fire with communal hatred. Can they not see the tears of students suffering due to the cancellation of the NEET examination?” the CM said.
He claimed that the dress code implemented in the state’s educational institutions is in line with the dress code followed in Kendriya Vidyalayas under the union government.
"Those who oppose the dress code issued by the state government should also oppose the dress code of Kendriya Vidyalayas. Why this hypocrisy?" Siddaramaiah said.
He also asked whether allowing the hijab amounts to appeasement of Muslims, and whether allowing sacred threads, turbans, or traditional headgear amounts to appeasement of the respective religions.
Calling the CET examinations introduced by the previous Congress government in Karnataka a revolutionary step that enabled thousands of poor students to become engineers and doctors, Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP government at the Centre systematically weakened the system.
“When the NEET examination system was implemented in 2024, our government opposed it. NEET has caused injustice to poor and rural students in the state. Through this system, the union government has taken away the state’s rightful authority over education,” the CM charged.
For decades, our governments have conducted CET examinations safely and efficiently, he said, adding that the BJP government at the Centre does not even have the ability to conduct a single NEET examination properly.
“This is proof of the union government’s administrative failure. I directly hold Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for this lapse. I demand that he apologise to the students of the country and immediately remove the incompetent Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from the Union Cabinet,” he said.
Underlining that educational institutions must promote rationality, scientific temper, equality, fraternity, dignity, mutual respect, and a secular outlook, Siddaramaiah said his government has decided to allow students to wear limited traditional or faith-based symbols, provided they are supplementary to and compatible with the prescribed uniform.
“We are committed to restoring discipline, equality, and dignity in the education system without affecting public order, safety, the classroom environment, or the secular character of educational institutions,” the CM said.
